Aircraft propelling means



Oct. 27,-19.31. J. B. SHAINLINE AIRCRAFT PROPELLING MEANS Filed Sept.21, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR Jnsa hE. 5 hainhna BY M ATTORNEY-Oct 27, 1931- J. B. SHAINLINE AIRCRAFT PROPELLING MEANS Filed Sept. 21,1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TOR v ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1931 U EDSTATES PATENT osslcs JOSEPH B. 01 NOBBIS'IOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB OIONE-HAL! TO HAROLD OF NORBISTOWN, IENNSYL'VANIA AIRCRAFT PROPELLINGMEANS Application filed September a1, 1929. Serial 10. 395187.

This invention relates to aircraft and more articularly to an improvedmeans for prope ling the same.

One of the most vital roblems in commercializin aircrafts is t eprovision of a i more durab e and reliable propelling means. Theaircrafts of today are provided with'one or more motors and propellerswherein the motor and propeller are constructed as a unit, the ropellerbeing fixed rigidly to the crank sha t of the motor, and of course, thepropeller turns the same number of revolutions as the motor.

The above necessitates the motor being run 18 at a high speed all of thetime in order to at-' tain speed and-liftin power. Thisof course,shortens the life of t e motor and necessitates a very eflicient coolingsystem. Many of the unsuccessful long distance flights have been due tothe failure of the cooling system.

Probably the most numbered of all unsuccessful long distance flights aredue to the high speed that the motor is required to maintam. One objectsof this invention is to provide 26 a means for propelling an aircraftwherein the speed of the motor is less than the speed of propeller orpropellers driven thereby. Another object is to provide a single powerplant for driving a p uralit of propellers so and means for connecting te power plant with the propellers.

A furt er object is to position the power plant in such a position onthe craft that it will be exposed to the air for cooling purss poses.

A further object of the invention is to provide an aircraft having upperand lower win structures spaced apart .not only vertica ly but staggeredhorizontally.

A furtherobject of the invention is t'o provide an aircraft having alower wing located in front of the upper. wing by substantially thewidth of the wing... 7 A further obfject of the invention is to providean aircra.

width of the wing with a propeller between the wings and in position toproject air cur rents against the under side of the upper wing on y.

7 pellers.

t having a lower wing in ad-v vance of the upper wing by substantiallythe According to*the invention, I provide a power plant of any suitablekind such as an internal combustion engine having a main gear fixed toone end of its crankshaft, propellers spaced apart and on opposite sidesof the fuselage or main body of the aircraft and upon planessubstantially lying between and supported by the wings which arestaggered and means for connecting the propellers with the power plant,the said means being constructed so as to 've the propellers a greaternumber of revo utions relative to the revolutions of the power plant andto move the air into contact with the under sides of the wings toaugment the lift.

' The drawings which are more or less diagrammatic illustrate anembodiment of this invention and the views therein are as fol-. lows Fi1 is a front'view of an aircraft embodying t e invention. v

Fig. 2 is a side view of an .aircraft embodyingthe invention. a

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the propelling means. s v

Fig. 4 is an enlarged .view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Y

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of one of the gear cases. p

The fuselage of the aircraft which forms the subject matter of thisapplication is of substantially the usual and ordinary type but thewings are arranged with the lower wing 10 substantially the width of thewing in advance of the upper wing 10'. 1

The propelhng means consists in general of a power plant 11, propellers12 and I3, and means represented in its entirety by 14 for connectingthe power plant with the pro- The power plant may be an internalcombustion engine of any suitable type and designed to developesuflicient power to drive the propellers at a greater number ofrevolutions than the revolutions of the power plant.

The pro ellers may be of any approved type and i desired may haveopposite pitch one to the other. The propellers are supported by thewings in any convenient manner not shown. Each of the propellers areshafts 20 and 21 having bevelled pinions 22 and 23 fixed to theiroppositeends. The pinions 22 are adapted to mesh with the gear 18 onopposite sides. Pinions 23 are adapted to mesh with the pinions 23 arereferably of the same ratio, the gear 18 and the pinions 22 may bedesigned to have any desired ratio.

The power lant 11, is'provided with a gear case 24. he-gear case 24 andthe ear cases 17 are rovided with suitable openlngs having bearlngstherein for receiving and su orting the driving shafts 20 and 21.

ig. 3 shows the means 14: connected up for driving ropellers 12 and 13inthe same direction. l owever, if it is desired to drive propellers inthe opposite direction it is only necessary to change the pinions 23associated with the propeller 13;to the position indicated by. thedotted lines 25.

It can be seen from the above that the propellers may attain the desiredrevolutions for cruisin without running the motor at a high rate 0speed. It will also be seen that y reason of the location of thepropellers 12 and 13 substantially at the fore edge of the upper wingand the aft edge of the lower wing, the air discharge from the propellerwill impinge upon the under side of the inclined wing 10', and not onlyexert force for the advancement of the craft as an entirety, butwill'exert a liftin force upon the under side of the wing 10. peratingas it does substantially in the rear and above the lower ation of theair from the o eration of the propeller will also tend to uti eunbalanced iftmg effect of the air upon the under side of this wing.

While I have described one embodiment of this invention in connectionwith a cabin plane, the same principles may be applied to buoyant andsemi-buoyant aircraft.

Of course, the aircraft ropelling means illustrated may be modifie andchanged in various ways without departing from the invention herein setforth and hereafter claimed.

1 The invention is hereby claimed as folows:

An aircraft comprising a fuselage, a power plant, wings adjacent to thelower forward parts of the fuselage and extendin in substantialalinement upon opposite si es thereof, wings adjacent to the upperlimits of the wings aving their forwardedges approxi mately coincidingwith a vertical plane throu prope h. the rear edges of the lower win ersournaled upon opposite sides 0 gears 16. The gears 16 andwing 10, theattenu selage and extendin in substantial aline ment u on opposite si esthereof, said upper the fuselage to rotate approximately in said plane,their orbits being less in diameter than the vertical distance betweenthe win and means to drive the propellers from t e power plant.

In testimony whereof I have signed by name to this s ecification.

OSEPH B. SHAINLINE.

